2025 Whangārei District Council election
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Position of the Whangarei District in the North Island | |||
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The 2025 Whangārei District Council election is an upcoming local election to be held from 9 September to 11 October in the Whangārei District of New Zealand as part of that year's nation-wide local elections. Voters will elect the mayor of Whangārei and 13 district councillors for the 2025–2028 term of the Whangārei District Council. Postal voting and the single transferable voting voting system will be used.
The council introduced a Māori ward at the 2022 election; its future will be decided in a referendum on the issue, as part of a nation-wide series of referendums.
Key dates
- 4 July 2025: Nominations for candidates will open
- 1 August 2025: Nominations for candidates will close at 12 pm
- 9 September 2025: Voting documents will be posted and voting will open
- 11 October 2025: Voting will close at 12 pm and progress/preliminary results will be published
- 16–19 October 2025: Final results will be declared.[1][2]
Background
Māori wards referendum
In November 2020, the Whangārei District Council voted 8-6 to establish a Māori ward for the 2022 and 2025 elections.[3]
In July 2024, the National-led coalition government passed the Local Government (Electoral Legislation and Māori Wards and Māori Constituencies) Amendment Act 2024 which reinstated the requirement that councils must hold a referendum before establishing Māori wards or constituencies. In August 2024, the council voted 12-1 to affirm their decision to establish the Māori constituency, thereby triggering a referendum on the constituency to be held alongside the 2025 local elections.[4]
Campaign
List of candidates
Incumbents not seeking re-election
Mayor
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Vince Cocurullo | Incumbent mayor since 2022[5] | |
| Marie Olsen | Councillor for the Whangārei Urban general ward[5][6] |
Councillors
Whangārei District Māori ward
The Whangārei District Māori ward will return two councillors to the district council.[1]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|
Bream Bay general ward
Bream Bay general ward will return two councillors to the district council.[1]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Yovich | ACT Local | Fitter-turner, youth coach and community advocate[8] | |
Hikurangi-Coastal general ward
Hikurangi-Coastal general ward will return two councillors to the district council.[1]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Scott McKenzie | Incumbent councillor[5][6] |
Mangakahia-Maungatapere general ward
Mangakahia-Maungatapere general ward will return one councillor to the district council.[1]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|
Whangārei Heads general ward
Whangārei Heads general ward will return one councillor to the district council.[1]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|
Whangārei Urban general ward
Whangārei Urban general ward will return five councillors to the district council.[1]
| Candidate | Affiliation[a] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Connop | Incumbent councillor[5][6] | |
| Carol Peters | Incumbent councillor[5][6] | |
| Paul Yovich | Incumbent councillor[5][6] |
Other local elections
Voters in the district will also elect members of the Northland Regional Council (with 3 councillors fully elected from the district in the Whangārei Central, Coastal Central, and Coastal South general constituencies and 3 councillors partially elected from the district in the Mid North general, Kaipara general, and Te Raki Māori constituencies, respectively).[2][9]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g A candidate may leave their affiliation blank, run as an independent, or run with an affiliation to an organisation, local body ticket or political party. Whangārei District Council does not allow election slogans to be used for the affiliation.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "2025 Local Elections Guide" (PDF). www.wdc.govt.nz. Whangarei District Council. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ a b "2025 – Local elections". www.nrc.govt.nz. Northland Regional Council. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ Botting, Susan (2 November 2020). "Whangārei District Council to have Māori wards from 2022". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ de Graaf, Peter (29 August 2024). "Whangārei District Council votes against scrapping Māori ward". RNZ. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Botting, Susan (6 April 2025). "Local elections: Two Northland Mayors face in-house challenges". Te Ao Māori News. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Mayor and Councillors". www.wdc.govt.nz. Whangarei District Council. Retrieved 19 April 2025.
- ^ "2025 CANDIDATE INFORMATION HANDBOOK" (PDF). www.wdc.govt.nz. Whangārei District Council. p. 13. Retrieved 6 July 2025.
- ^ ACT New Zealand (25 June 2025). "ACT Announces Matthew Yovich As ACT Local Candidate For Whangarei". www.scoop.co.nz. Scoop. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "FACT SHEET | PEPA MEKA" (PDF). www.nrc.govt.nz. Northland Regional Council. Retrieved 19 April 2025.